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J. T. SIMPSON.

ROOFING.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 4. 1917.

Patented Nov. 4, 1919.

\ zven%m- I Jaw-M 4 JOHN T. SIMPSON, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

ROOFING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 4, 1919.

Application filed December 4. 1917. Serial No. 205,302.

New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Roofing, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to roofing and more particularly to thatching and has for its objects to provide a roof and wall covering' which will simulate straw or rush thatching, which maybe readily transported, which may be easily and permanently secured in position, which will be water-proof and. which will be fire-proof.

These and further objects will more fully appear in the following specification and accompanying drawings considered together or separately.

I have illustrated one embodiment of my invention in the accompanying drawings in which like parts in all of the figures are designated by similar reference characters, and in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a section of my improved roofing,

Fig.'2 is an enlarged detail plan view of the same,

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2, a

Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing one method of applying the roofing,

Fig. 5 is a detail plan view of a modification,

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5,

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 4,

Fig. 8 is a greatly enlarged sectional detail view, and

Fig. 9 is a detail sectional view showing another modification.

Fig. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of a further modification.

Incarrying out my invention I provide a sheet 1 of fimbriated material such, for example, as wire, cordage, rods or the like, secured together at one end and free at the other. I prefer to construct the sheet of wire as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings. The members 2 form, at one end thereof, the-weft members of a woven fabric of which the warp members 3 extend lengthwise of the sheet. The wires are preferably galvanized to prevent corrosion. The entire sheet is then coated with a flexible, plastic material 4 which'will fill the spaces between the free ends of the wires as shown in Fig. 8. The'covering may be of any suitable material and is preferably water and fire- 'proof.

The roofing may be made up in sheets and shipped flat, or it may be rolled, the coating 4 being of such a character that it will not be cracked or broken when the sheet is rolled.

Instead of constructing the sheet of metal wlre it may be made of cordage which may be of a fire resisting material such as asbestos' or hemp or cotton rope, previously treated to make it non-inflammable and moisture resisting. Y

The thatch may be applied as shown in Figs. 4 and 7, and it may be secured to the roof or rafters by nailing through the interstices of the fabricated part of the sheet when the material of the building is wood or it may be secured in place by cementing the fabricated portion of the sheet to a concrete roof.

Instead of applying the sheets in single layers as shown in the drawings the overlapping layers may each be composed of a plurality of sheets with their ends in alinement to more perfectly imitate straw thatching.

I desire to have it understood that the coating on the wires need be on that part of the sheet, which is-exposed to the weather only, and that the coating may cover each exposed filament individually instead of collectively as shown in Fig. 8.

It will also be understood that instead of employing wireor rods for the fabric, I may construct it of tubing which will make a roof of less weight than one of solid material.

In the modification shown in Figs. 5 and 6 I show a fabric composed of parallel members 5 secured at one end to a cross member 6. In the case of a metallic sheet this cross member may be a wire or rod electrically welded to the members 5. In the use of a fringed member of cordage the cross member may be a rod or a rope to which the parallel filaments may be secured in any desired manner.

In Fig. 10.1 show a modification in which the cross member 6 carries a plurality of parallel rows of parallel members 5.

The sheet may be secured in position by stapling the cross member to the buildlng or in any other manner.

In placing my improved roofing in position, I prefer to so arrange the sheets that the parallel members of the overlapplng sheets will lie in the valleys of the overlapped sheets. Y

The flexibility of the sheet will perm t 11'. to be bent around corners and around dormer windows or other projections on the building.

The sheets may be applied to the walls as Well as to the roof.

In-accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes'l have described the punciple of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now. consider to represent the bestembodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative, and that the 1nvention may be carried out in other ways.

Having thus described my invention what I now claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: v

1. An article of the character described, comprising rigid members secured together at a distance from the ends of the members,

the ends of the members being free.

2.. An article of the character descrlbed, comprising filamentous rigid members secured together at a distance from th ends of the members, the ends of the members being free.

3. An article of the character described, comprising parallel filamentous rigid members secured together at a distance from the ends of the members, the ends of the members being free.

tion being at a distance from the ends of the members, the ends of the members being free, '5. An article of the character described,

. comprising a plurality of rigid ).members woven into a fabric at one end and free at the other end.

s "6. An article of the character described,

comprising a sheet composed of a plurality of rigid members arranged side by side, said'members being woven with cross members into a fabric, said fabrioatedportion extending for a portion only of the length of the first mentioned members.

17. An article of the character described, comprising metallic members secured together at one end only, and a coating for the members 8. An article of the character described, comprising filamentous metallic members secured together at one end only, and a coating for the members.

9. An article of the character described, comprising a plurality of metallic members woven into a fabric at one end, free at the other end, and a coating for the members.

10. An article of the character described, comprising a sheet composed of a plurality of members arranged side by side, said members bein woven with cross members into a fabric, said fabricated portion extending for a portion only of the length of the first mentioned members, and a covering of flexible material on the members.

11. An article of the character described, comprising a sheet composed of a plurality of members arranged side by side, said mem bers being Woven with cross members into a fabric, said fabricated portion extending for a portion only of the length of the first mentioned members, and a covering of flexible .fireproof material on the members.

12. An article of the character described, comprising a sheet composed of a plurality of members arranged side by side, said members being woven with cross members into a fabric, said fabricated portion extending for a portion only of the length of the first mentioned members,-and a covering of flexible fireproof material on each member individually. I

13. An article of the character described, comprising a sheet composed of a plurality of members arranged side by side, said members being woven with cross members into a fabric, said fabricated portion extending for a portion of the length of the first mentioned members, and a covering of flexible plastic material on the unfabricated portions 'of each member individually,

This specification signed and witnessed this 30th day of November, 1917.

' JOHN T. SIMPSON.

Witnesses:

FLORENCE C. BARNES, ETHEL M. JoNEs. 

